


Future Imperfect

by Sandrine Shaw (Sandrine)



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Drabble, M/M, Post-Eclipse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-16
Updated: 2012-02-16
Packaged: 2017-10-31 06:54:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/341199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandrine/pseuds/Sandrine%20Shaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's always been about Bella.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Future Imperfect

If you ask either of them, they will tell you that it's always been all about Bella: loving Bella, protecting Bella, fighting over Bella. More than the treaty, her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob had been what kept them from tearing each other's throat out, and somehow, that got them here: to angry kisses and claw marks and coming together in a way that was closer to making war than to making love.

Because it's not _about_ love: it's about need and frustration and mutual allocations of blame, about trying to fill the void, if only for a moment.

It's about Jacob's skin burning against Edward's, setting him on fire in so many ways, while Edward's fingertips leave a touch of frost that only marginally relates to his body temperature. 

It's about sharp teeth almost but never quite breaking Jacob's skin, and words even sharper than that, whose impact goes further than skin-deep.

It's about inhuman strength and knowing they don't need to be careful with each other, that they won't break if they push a little too forcefully, take a little too roughly and hold on a little too tight.

They don't care much about boundary lines anymore. The Cullens have long since left town and moved on, and the wolves are gone, the members of the pack settling down eventually, phasing more and more infrequently until they stopped altogether, living out their regular life span. There's no one left but the two of them. Just Jacob and Edward and a town full of memories. 

There's always a struggle, insults that lost their power to cause pain years ago, accusations that never will. Sometimes Jacob wins, sometimes Edward comes out on top. 

Sometimes Jacob finds himself slammed hard against a tree, and Edward is _there_ , too close and not close enough, teeth bared and his stench filling the air. Even as he struggles, the wolf in him recognizes that he's not going to be a match for the bloodsucker tonight, recognizes Edward as the Alpha and _submits_ , baring his neck to the deadly teeth. It's all instinct, no reason or conscious decision, and Jacob hates every second of it. Hates even more that he feels the will to fight for dominance go out of him the moment Edward touches him.

He still flinches a little at the first touch of cold fingers inside of him, and he still tells himself that he doesn't enjoy it. He still holds on tightly to his anger and his hatred and the pain, even when he knows that what eventually tears screams from his throat when Edward's unforgiving, cool hardness pushes into him is not pain at all. He still tries not to show how much he enjoys it, even when he knows that Edward only needs to reach into his mind to read his thoughts.

They never talk, afterwards. No reassurances, no idle small talk, no goodbyes. But sometimes, Edward is tempted to upset the pattern and tell Jacob, "See you next time," just to see how Jacob would react when someone speaks out what they both know: there's always a next time.

It's not the future either of them wanted, but it's all they have. It's about Bella, they tell themselves. 

But Bella is long gone and they still can't stay away from each other, so maybe it's not all about Bella after all. Maybe it hasn't been for a long time.


End file.
